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Of the giants of the Hebrews pantheon, none match the stature of
someone like Abraham except Moses. While Joseph is well depicted in a musical,
Moses had a huge cinemascope motion picture directed by Cecil deMille that
still ranks among the greatest ever filmed today.
But nothing on the celluloid can ever match the real thing –
Moses’ most stunning claim to fame – even amongst non-Christians – is the
parting of the sea. While the screen version is spectacular, nothing can be
imaginably the same as the real thing. In honouring Moses’ contribution (see
Hebrews 11:23-29), we must also take note that God had also seen fit to bring
to mention, his parents – Amram and Jocabed – for their faith as well as the
people of Israel who were steadfast in their belief that the Lord would lead
them out of Egypt and across the Red Sea.
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Just like every other hero of faith, Moses has flawed human
traits of vulnerability and like all of the others, it’s his willingness to
obey that proved critical in the end. By his subservience, he made it possible
for God to use him as mightily as He did. From being saved by a woman we now
know as Hatshepsut to becoming a prince of Egypt, Moses rose through the ranks
to become very powerful throughout the land. Alongside the Pharaoh’s son
(Thutmoses II), he was to be feared and it was widely said that the possibility
of Moses becoming a Pharaoh in his future was not to be discounted.
Yet it was not to be. Despite his high and powerful rank, God
let him keep a heart of compassion for his fellow Jews. This alone made him
possessed of anger when he came across an Egyptian soldier mishandling and
abusing a Jewish slave. And in an uncontrollable outburst, he killed the
soldier and ended up losing everything and thus escaping into oblivion. A
prince no more, Moses was now a fugitive, looking for meaning in his life in a
desert that threatened to swallow him alive.
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In the years leading from his escape, Moses would come to know
God but it was He who found him and not the other way round. The historical and
biblical importance of Moses lies in the fact that God had revealed a
remarkable lot to him not just about His laws of life but even His Name. Moses
saw the Finger of God as it wrote out the Ten Commandments right before his
very own eyes.
Of all the others He could have, God chose Moses to lead His
people out from bondage in Egypt and that in itself could be a questionable
decision. From Scripture we learn that he had speech-related issues and in his
own admission, he was clumsy at giving speeches. How would he be the orator
needed to inspire his people whom he was to lead out of Egypt? God in His
infinite wisdom appointed someone like Moses to simply prove He is God. In His
almighty power, it is He who can use someone as imperfect or flawed as Moses
and still make things work.
And so it was that Moses led God’s chosen people out from
slavery into freedom. Freed from bondage, Moses would lead them to the Promised
Land and along the way, God mediated His covenant with all of them. However it
was anything but a simple case of just leading, for the people soon lost their
faith for as many times as the Bible recorded them. Scripture calls them
“stiff-necked” for they were repugnant to God for their unchanging ways.
Even as Moses brought the Israelites all the way to the edge of
the Promised Land, doubts were abound. When the spies returned from their
appointed duty, they allowed their fears to consume their faith in God. Rather
than boldly enter the Promised Land under the strength of God, they buckled at
the thought of what they saw across the border. In his exasperation, Moses knew
that God’s wrath would bear down on those who doubted Him after so many years
of being led out of captivity. And so many died as a result that by the time
they finally did enter the Promised Land, much of the earlier generations of
Israelites had already perished in the desert.
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Even though Moses himself did not get to savour a life within
the Promised Land, God allowed him up Mount Nebo where he could see the expanse
of their new homeland. He then realised and understood the very purpose of the
mission that God had used him for. And in all that time, Moses had not been a
perfect follower with an often foreboding sense of inadequacy; still God worked
mightily through him, gave him powers that would overcome the Pharaoh, and
equipped him with the skills and capabilities that enabled His people to follow
in his leadership.
Every step of the way, God knew He found the right servant to do
the right job at the right time. And that man couldn’t be anyone else but
Moses.
Achievements
From the bowels of the most
powerful nation there was at that time, Moses led his people out of slavery and
out of the clutches of the Pharaoh. As unruly and often ungrateful as the
Israelites were, Moses was able to bring order to them and led them to the edge
of their promised freedom. And as the sole recipient of God’s Ten Commandments,
it was Moses who delivered them to his people and it was these that became the
bedrock of today’s legal systems in the world. Inspired by God, Moses would go
on to author the first five Books of the Bible. Collectively referred to as the
Pentateuch, they were Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
Personal Strengths
No matter the overwhelming
odds or the incredible mortal dangers, Moses chose to obey God and trust in
Him. Through him, God vindicated Moses by working not just incredible miracles
but also the plagues that rock the whole of Egypt. In God, Moses had unwavering
faith that no one else then had. He was so close to God that he talked to Him
very regularly.
Personal Weaknesses
In a stunning moment of
mortal weakness, Moses “lost it” at Meribah. Instead of following what God
asked him to do, he simply smashed the rock twice with his staff when all that
was needed was to speak to it to produce water. This tragic mistake was all it
took for God to withhold him from entering the Promised Land.
Lessons in Life
Moses knew to ask God for
His providence whenever the task ahead of him appeared untenable or impossible.
As Moses understood, a surrendered heart is a perfect place for God to work His
wonders. He also understood that he alone could not bring order to such a huge
group of people and so he chose to heed his father-in-law’s advice and delegate
tasks, duties and responsibilities. He proved also that we all don’t need to be
exceptionally talented to embrace God in a unique and very personable
relationship. Through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, any of us can be
connected to God in the most personal and intimate way. As much as it may
appear to be, laws can’t save us – Moses’ lesson teaches us that because of our
sinful nature, we are incapable of keeping the laws perfectly. Only Jesus can
save us from sins. God’s plan of salvation revolves around His Son simply
because the Ten Commandments are merely a guide. Knowing this, God’s covenant
is hinged on His perfect Son to deliver us.
Hometown
Likely born in the land of
Goshen although found among the reeds on the Nile by Hatshepsut
Family Tree
Zipporah (wife), Amram
(father), Jochebed (mother), Gershom (son), Eliezer (son), Aaron (brother),
Miriam (sister)
Occupation
Prince of Egypt (before becoming fugitive), shepherd,
prophet, lawgiver, covenant mediator, national leader
Biblical References
Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles,
Ezra, Nehemiah, Psalms, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Micah, Malachi
Mathew 8:4, 17:3-4, 19:7-8, 22:24, 23:2; Mark 1:44, 7:10, 9:4-5, 10:3-5,
12:19,26; Luke 2:22, 5:14, 9:30-33, 16:29-31, 20:28, 37, 24:27,44; John
1:17,45; 3:14, 5:45-46, 6:32, 7:19-23, 8:5, 9:28-29; Acts 3:22, 6:11-14,
7:20-44, 13:39, 15:1-5, 21:21, 26:22, 28:23; Romans 5:14, 9:15, 10:5, 19:1;
Corinthians 9:9, 10:2; 2 Corinthians 3:7-13,15; 2 Timothy 3:8; Hebrews
3:2-5,16, 7:14, 8:5, 9:19, 10:28, 11:23-29; Jude 1:9; Revelation 15:3
Key Verses
Exodus 3:10 > “So now,
go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring My people the Israelites out of
Egypt.”
Exodus 3:14 > “God
said to Moses, ‘IAm Who I Am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I
Am has sent me to you.’’”
Deuteronomy 6:4-6 >
“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Love the Lord your God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These
commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts.”
Deuteronomy 34:5-8 > “And Moses the servant of the Lord died there in
Moab, as the Lord had said. He buried him in Moab in the valley opposite Beth
Peor but to this day, no one knows where his grave is. Moses was a hundred and
twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength
gone. The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days until
the time of weeping and mourning was over.”
Next Up
Heroes of Faith Part 10 - Joshua; December 26 2014
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